The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending (or simply Prisons Minister) is a mid-level ministerial office in the Ministry of Justice.
Catherine McKinnell has held the office since July 2026.
Responsibilities
The minister currently has responsibility of the following policy areas:
Prison operations, policy, reform and industrial relations
Probation policy and operations
Youth justice
Parole
Offender health
Offender Cohorts
Extremism
Home Detention Curfew (HDC)
Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) schemes
Drugs
Reducing reoffending
Female offenders
Foreign National Offenders
The minister also provides support on Global Britain and the promotion of legal services.